Only a few days after more than a dozen alleged cocaine dealers were charged by law enforcement, eight people allegedly dealing heroin were shut down in two separate undercover drug buys.

Both were investigations with the Luzerne County Drug Task Force with help from Sugarloaf Township, Hazleton, Wright Township and Wilkes-Barre Township police. The undercover buys occurred in Berwick and Wilkes-Barre Township.

The bust in Berwick involved a former Hazleton resident while in Wilkes-Barre, those involved were from outside the immediate area.

All were incarcerated at Luzerne County Correctional Facility after late-night arraignments at Hazleton City Hall before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Zola, who was assisted by Magisterial District Judge Daniel O'Donnell. Each defendant was given straight cash bail, meaning the entire amount had to be posted to be released.

Berwick bust

According to court papers filed by Cpl. Josh Winters of Sugarloaf Township police and Cpl. David Bunchalk of Hazleton police, an undercover officer arranged to buy a bundle of heroin at about 9:05 a.m. Saturday in Berwick. The officer received a text message from Amber Rose Jimenez, who was impersonating her sister during the buys. Jimenez told the officer to meet her at 315 E. Broad St., to purchase one bundle of heroin for $150. She took the pre-recorded money from the drug task force fund, but never gave police the heroin.

A short time later, task force members and Berwick police entered the home and arrested Jimenez, Trisha Levan, Jennifer Harvey and Matthew Prokopiak. Police said each of them told police they planned to keep the money to buy heroin for themselves.

Police found the stolen money, several needles used for injecting heroin and spoons used to cook the drug.

Arrested and arraigned were:

n Jimenez, 20, last known address of Laurel Street in Hazleton. She was charged with criminal use of a communication facility, a felony. She was also charged with theft, second-degree misdemeanor; receiving stolen property, second-degree misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, and criminal conspiracy to receive stolen property, a second-degree misdemeanor. Jimenez was arraigned on $75,000 bail.

n Trisha Levan, 19, and Matthew Prokopiak, 23, both of 1233 Sixth Ave., Berwick, were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal conspiracy to receive stolen property. Levan and Prokopiak were arraigned on $35,000 bail.

Wilkes-Barre Township bust

The second bust involved the sale of drugs from Wilkes-Barre hotel rooms.

According to authorities:

Undercover officers and a confidential informant planned to purchase six bundles of heroin from "Jimmy," who was later identified as Jaime Fernandez-Maldonado, on Saturday.

Fernandez-Maldonado told the informant and officer to go to the Wyoming Valley Mall parking lot near J.C. Penney. There, Fernandez-Maldonado walked over to the informant and the officer's vehicle and told them he was waiting for his bodyguard to show up. The alleged dealer got into the vehicle when a white van, driven by the bodyguard, Carlos Colon II, arrived. Both vehicles proceeded to the Econo Lodge in Wilkes-Barre Township.

Fernandez-Maldonado told the officer and informant he was going to his room with Colon to get the heroin. After a few minutes, Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon returned. Fernandez-Maldonado gave the informant two bags of heroin in return for giving him a ride and also handed him the six bags the informant requested for $420.

Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon were arrested in the hotel parking lot after the transaction was completed. At the time of his arrest, Fernandez-Maldonado had $3,900 in his pockets.

Officers discovered there were other people in the rooms from which Fernandez-Maldonado was selling drugs.

In one room, police smelled marijuana and, in plain view, saw a bag containing the drug. They also found Nellysoa Enid Velez, Joel Colon and Maria Hernandez-Torres in the room.

In another room, officers found an open purple bag on a bed containing about 25 bundles of heroin along with a bag of rubber bands. Once search warrants were obtained for both rooms, officers found an additional three bags of pot, a stolen Taurus PT22 gun and an electronic scale in one room and about 25 bundles of heroin, seven bags of cocaine, a bag of rubber bands, packaging material and $5,000 in cash in the other.

The following were charged:

n Fernandez-Maldonado, 25, last known address of 1341 Rain Tree Bend, Clairmont, Fla. He was arraigned on $150,000. Police charged him with manufacture of a controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic, a first-degree felony; possession of a controlled substance, drugs, device or cosmetic, misdemeanor; criminal use of a communication facility, felony and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin, a first-degree felony.

n Colon, 23, of 3234 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, was arraigned on $100,000. He was charged with manufacture of controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin.

n Hernandez-Torres, 19, last known address of 1285 Livingston St., Apt. B, Bethlehem, and Velez, 20, no current address, were held on $35,000 bail each. Both were charged with possession or distribution of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Joel Manual Colon, 20, last known address of 810 Allen St., Allentown, was held on $75,000 bail. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property for the stolen gun.

On Tuesday, police and the state Attorney General's Office stopped a $10.4 million cocaine trafficking operation in Hazleton.

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Second String," began in August 2008 and resulted in 17 people being charged with crimes.

In September 2007, another large cocaine operation was taken down during Operation Boomerang.

achristman@standardspeaker.com, 570-455-3636

Only a few days after more than a dozen alleged cocaine dealers were charged by law enforcement, eight people allegedly dealing heroin were shut down in two separate undercover drug buys.

Both were investigations with the Luzerne County Drug Task Force with help from Sugarloaf Township, Hazleton, Wright Township and Wilkes-Barre Township police. The undercover buys occurred in Berwick and Wilkes-Barre Township.

The bust in Berwick involved a former Hazleton resident while in Wilkes-Barre, those involved were from outside the immediate area.

All were incarcerated at Luzerne County Correctional Facility after late-night arraignments at Hazleton City Hall before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Zola, who was assisted by Magisterial District Judge Daniel O'Donnell. Each defendant was given straight cash bail, meaning the entire amount had to be posted to be released.

Berwick bust

According to court papers filed by Cpl. Josh Winters of Sugarloaf Township police and Cpl. David Bunchalk of Hazleton police, an undercover officer arranged to buy a bundle of heroin at about 9:05 a.m. Saturday in Berwick. The officer received a text message from Amber Rose Jimenez, who was impersonating her sister during the buys. Jimenez told the officer to meet her at 315 E. Broad St., to purchase one bundle of heroin for $150. She took the pre-recorded money from the drug task force fund, but never gave police the heroin.

A short time later, task force members and Berwick police entered the home and arrested Jimenez, Trisha Levan, Jennifer Harvey and Matthew Prokopiak. Police said each of them told police they planned to keep the money to buy heroin for themselves.

Police found the stolen money, several needles used for injecting heroin and spoons used to cook the drug.

Arrested and arraigned were:

n Jimenez, 20, last known address of Laurel Street in Hazleton. She was charged with criminal use of a communication facility, a felony. She was also charged with theft, second-degree misdemeanor; receiving stolen property, second-degree misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, and criminal conspiracy to receive stolen property, a second-degree misdemeanor. Jimenez was arraigned on $75,000 bail.

n Trisha Levan, 19, and Matthew Prokopiak, 23, both of 1233 Sixth Ave., Berwick, were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal conspiracy to receive stolen property. Levan and Prokopiak were arraigned on $35,000 bail.

Wilkes-Barre Township bust

The second bust involved the sale of drugs from Wilkes-Barre hotel rooms.

According to authorities:

Undercover officers and a confidential informant planned to purchase six bundles of heroin from "Jimmy," who was later identified as Jaime Fernandez-Maldonado, on Saturday.

Fernandez-Maldonado told the informant and officer to go to the Wyoming Valley Mall parking lot near J.C. Penney. There, Fernandez-Maldonado walked over to the informant and the officer's vehicle and told them he was waiting for his bodyguard to show up. The alleged dealer got into the vehicle when a white van, driven by the bodyguard, Carlos Colon II, arrived. Both vehicles proceeded to the Econo Lodge in Wilkes-Barre Township.

Fernandez-Maldonado told the officer and informant he was going to his room with Colon to get the heroin. After a few minutes, Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon returned. Fernandez-Maldonado gave the informant two bags of heroin in return for giving him a ride and also handed him the six bags the informant requested for $420.

Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon were arrested in the hotel parking lot after the transaction was completed. At the time of his arrest, Fernandez-Maldonado had $3,900 in his pockets.

Officers discovered there were other people in the rooms from which Fernandez-Maldonado was selling drugs.

In one room, police smelled marijuana and, in plain view, saw a bag containing the drug. They also found Nellysoa Enid Velez, Joel Colon and Maria Hernandez-Torres in the room.

In another room, officers found an open purple bag on a bed containing about 25 bundles of heroin along with a bag of rubber bands. Once search warrants were obtained for both rooms, officers found an additional three bags of pot, a stolen Taurus PT22 gun and an electronic scale in one room and about 25 bundles of heroin, seven bags of cocaine, a bag of rubber bands, packaging material and $5,000 in cash in the other.

The following were charged:

n Fernandez-Maldonado, 25, last known address of 1341 Rain Tree Bend, Clairmont, Fla. He was arraigned on $150,000. Police charged him with manufacture of a controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic, a first-degree felony; possession of a controlled substance, drugs, device or cosmetic, misdemeanor; criminal use of a communication facility, felony and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin, a first-degree felony.

n Colon, 23, of 3234 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, was arraigned on $100,000. He was charged with manufacture of controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin.

n Hernandez-Torres, 19, last known address of 1285 Livingston St., Apt. B, Bethlehem, and Velez, 20, no current address, were held on $35,000 bail each. Both were charged with possession or distribution of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Joel Manual Colon, 20, last known address of 810 Allen St., Allentown, was held on $75,000 bail. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property for the stolen gun.

On Tuesday, police and the state Attorney General's Office stopped a $10.4 million cocaine trafficking operation in Hazleton.

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Second String," began in August 2008 and resulted in 17 people being charged with crimes.

In September 2007, another large cocaine operation was taken down during Operation Boomerang.

achristman@standardspeaker.com, 570-455-3636 Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon were arrested in the hotel parking lot after the transaction was completed. At the time of his arrest, Fernandez-Maldonado had $3,900 in his pockets.

Officers discovered there were other people in the rooms from which Fernandez-Maldonado was selling drugs.

In one room, police smelled marijuana and, in plain view, saw a bag containing the drug. They also found Nellysoa Enid Velez, Joel Colon and Maria Hernandez-Torres in the room.

In another room, officers found an open purple bag on a bed containing about 25 bundles of heroin along with a bag of rubber bands. Once search warrants were obtained for both rooms, officers found an additional three bags of pot, a stolen Taurus PT22 gun and an electronic scale in one room and about 25 bundles of heroin, seven bags of cocaine, a bag of rubber bands, packaging material and $5,000 in cash in the other.

The following were charged:

n Fernandez-Maldonado, 25, last known address of 1341 Rain Tree Bend, Clairmont, Fla. He was arraigned on $150,000. Police charged him with manufacture of a controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic, a first-degree felony; possession of a controlled substance, drugs, device or cosmetic, misdemeanor; criminal use of a communication facility, felony and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin, a first-degree felony.

n Colon, 23, of 3234 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, was arraigned on $100,000. He was charged with manufacture of controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin.

n Hernandez-Torres, 19, last known address of 1285 Livingston St., Apt. B, Bethlehem, and Velez, 20, no current address, were held on $35,000 bail each. Both were charged with possession or distribution of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Joel Manual Colon, 20, last known address of 810 Allen St., Allentown, was held on $75,000 bail. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property for the stolen gun.

On Tuesday, police and the state Attorney General's Office stopped a $10.4 million cocaine trafficking operation in Hazleton.

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Second String," began in August 2008 and resulted in 17 people being charged with crimes.

In September 2007, another large cocaine operation was taken down during Operation Boomerang.

achristman@standardspeaker.com 570-455-3636 Fernandez-Maldonado and Colon were arrested in the hotel parking lot after the transaction was completed. At the time of his arrest, Fernandez-Maldonado had $3,900 in his pockets.

Officers discovered there were other people in the rooms from which Fernandez-Maldonado was selling drugs.

In one room, police smelled marijuana and, in plain view, saw a bag containing the drug. They also found Nellysoa Enid Velez, Joel Colon and Maria Hernandez-Torres in the room.

In another room, officers found an open purple bag on a bed containing about 25 bundles of heroin along with a bag of rubber bands. Once search warrants were obtained for both rooms, officers found an additional three bags of pot, a stolen Taurus PT22 gun and an electronic scale in one room and about 25 bundles of heroin, seven bags of cocaine, a bag of rubber bands, packaging material and $5,000 in cash in the other.

The following were charged:

n Fernandez-Maldonado, 25, last known address of 1341 Rain Tree Bend, Clairmont, Fla. He was arraigned on $150,000. Police charged him with manufacture of a controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic, a first-degree felony; possession of a controlled substance, drugs, device or cosmetic, misdemeanor; criminal use of a communication facility, felony and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin, a first-degree felony.

n Colon, 23, of 3234 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, was arraigned on $100,000. He was charged with manufacture of controlled substance, drug, device or cosmetic and criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin.

n Hernandez-Torres, 19, last known address of 1285 Livingston St., Apt. B, Bethlehem, and Velez, 20, no current address, were held on $35,000 bail each. Both were charged with possession or distribution of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Joel Manual Colon, 20, last known address of 810 Allen St., Allentown, was held on $75,000 bail. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property for the stolen gun.

On Tuesday, police and the state Attorney General's Office stopped a $10.4 million cocaine trafficking operation in Hazleton.

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Second String," began in August 2008 and resulted in 17 people being charged with crimes.

In September 2007, another large cocaine operation was taken down during Operation Boomerang.

achristman@standardspeaker.com 570-455-3636

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1 posted comments

GREAT JOB TO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND TO MAD. ZOLA FOR GETTING THESE SCUM BAGS OFF THE STREET.